In this adaptation of William Saroyan's award-winning play The Time of Your Life, James Cagney plays a gentle barfly named Joe who settles in Nick's (William Bendix) Bar with various colorful characters like an imaginative old cowboy or a tap dancing comic who can't get laughs.
His sister Jeanne plays Kitty Duval, a woman who claims to once have been in burlesque. She and her brother have some of the most touching scenes in the movie. The pace takes a while to get used to but if you're in the mood for something optimistically offbeat, The Time of Your Life should be up your alley.


This movie is part of the collection: Feature Films

Director: H.C. Potter
Producer: William Cagney
Production Company: William Cagney Productions
Audio/Visual: sound, black & white
Keywords: Comedy; Drama; James Cagney
Contact Information: www.k-otic.com

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

Individual Files

Write a review
Downloaded 33,912 times Reviews
Average Rating:

Reviewer: rivercritter - - December 18, 2011
Subject: Cagney Is Saroyan's THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE
In 1948 I was busy being born, arrived in the spring. This movie springs off that era with a play writer's view on a movie set. But this set is really the one and only scene, so it does the script incredible justice.

The characters are lively, but also sweet as the baby's butt that I was back then. It represents a time of innocence in our history. Yet it touches on the multiple themes of hurt between people. Well worth watching!

Reviewer: Dark Moon - - May 2, 2011
Subject: Watch this
...and then read the Callahan's Crosstime Saloon stories by Spider Robinson. After that, sit in a quiet place for a while and meditate on human nature, and see if you don't wind up shaking your head, too. ;)

Reviewer: keygrip - - September 5, 2009
Subject: Curious Cagney
This is probably the strangest and most rarely seen film in the Cagney collection. Based on a one set stage play it is pleasant enough but doesn't really work as a movie. Cagney hardly moves from his chair until the last five minutes!
With some well known faces in minor supporting roles the film is one for collectors of movie oddities.One nice touch- Cagney saying that he couldn't dance!